Please any crowd with this Skinny Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe!
This blog post was originally published February 27, 2020. It was updated with new blog post information, photos, and recipe refinements on April 1, 2021.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my disclosure policy for details.
Table of contents
End your search for a no-fail appetizer recipe with this Skinny Spinach Artichoke Dip!
Lower in fat but still just as tasty, this recipe is lower in fat than most traditional recipes, thanks to Greek yogurt and light cream cheese. Fresh spinach, artichokes, garlic, and mozzarella cheese bring this dip layers of flavor and texture. This artichoke spinach dip is not to be missed!
I don't know about you, but almost every time I offer to host a cocktail or happy hour type event, I'm at a loss of what to serve. Especially when people request healthier or gluten-free dishes.
Maybe it's my personal experience or maybe it's American culture, but my brain freezes when I try to think of options other than hummus and veggies. All I can think of is deep-fried chicken wings, loaded potato skins, greasy sliders, and the like.
Don't get me wrong -- I love hummus, but there are just times I want something warmer, more comfort food-like, more indulgent feeling. The loaded potato skin experience without the following food coma.
And so, when we offered to host our networking group this last weekend, I started to strategize how I could possibly put together a healthier comfort food recipe for the menu.
Being that I had some gluten-free guests coming and being that I've been in a cheese mood lately, I decided that a hot & cheesy spinach dip recipe remake would be my focus.
After all, there are some delicious, yet relatively easy subs I could try for the typical sour cream and cream cheese-based dip. There's also no flour or gluten ingredients in the dip, so I'd be safe serving it to my gluten-free guests with rice crackers and veggies.
So, I grabbed some fresh spinach, Greek yogurt, light cream cheese, part-skim mozzarella and freshly grated parmesan cheese and came up with this quickly disappearing Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip.
And finally, hummus has a new companion to serve alongside it. 🙂
This healthy spinach artichoke dip is...
- Creamy
- Melty
- Cheesy
- Gluten-free
- Lower in fat
- Perfect for a crowd
- Easy to make ahead
Life is too short to have a boring happy hour spread. Make this cheesy appetizer today!
Ingredients:
- Spinach - fresh baby spinach or frozen chopped spinach both work
- Onion
- Garlic
- Artichoke hearts - frozen & thawed or canned and drained are both great
- Greek yogurt - any fat percentage is fine!
- Light cream cheese - also known as "Neufatchel cheese"
- Mayonnaise - regular, olive oil, or light mayonnaise
- Grated parmesan cheese - preferably fresh!
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
Substitutions:
- Cream cheese - full-fat cream cheese can substitute for light cream cheese
- Parmesan cheese - a mixture of hard grated cheeses also works well in this hot dip! I like a mixture of Asiago, Romano, and Parmesan.
- Mayonnaise - if you don't have or don't like mayonnaise, you can use ¼ cup sour cream (light or full-fat) in place of it.
- Greek yogurt - the same amount of sour cream (light or full fat) can substitute for the yogurt
How to make spinach artichoke dip from scratch:
- Preheat the oven and spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute for 4-5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add the garlic to the onions and saute for another 1-2 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant.
- Stir the spinach and artichokes into the pan and cook until the fresh spinach wilts or frozen spinach heats through.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the greek yogurt, cream cheese, mayonnaise, part of parmesan cheese, part of shredded mozzarella cheese, and salt. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the mixture starts to thicken.
- Pour the dip into the prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese. Bake for 33-37 minutes, or until the dip is bubbling and cheese on the top starts to brown.
- Remove the hot spinach dip from the oven and serve with pita chips, crackers, or any of your other favorite dippers!
Recipe pro-tips:
- Thaw the artichokes before using (if using frozen artichokes). Thaw them at room temperature for 1.5-2 hours or defrost them on low heat in the microwave.
- Use fresh grated parmesan cheese. The cheese product that comes in a green can provides lots of preservatives and not much flavor!
- Cook the cheese sauce down before baking. Just a few minutes of simmering before baking makes the world of a difference in this spinach and artichoke dip! Doing so will make the sauce more creamy and luscious.
Serving suggestions:
Serve this healthy spinach dip with...
- Whole wheat crackers or pita chips
- Garlic-rubbed crostini
- Sliced baguette
- Pita bread
- Naan bread
- Veggies -- Carrots, baby sweet peppers, and cucumbers, broccoli, and/or baby tomatoes
How to make this recipe ahead of time:
This artichoke spinach dip is perfect for making ahead of time. Follow all the steps up to pouring the dip into the baking pan. Sprinkle the cheeses on top of the dip and cover the pan with plastic wrap or a lid.
Refrigerate the uncooked dip for up to 36 hours. Bake before serving at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 38-42 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown on top and the dip is bubbly.
Recipe mix-in options:
Change up this recipe for any occasion! Mix the recommended amount of any of the following ingredients into the dip before baking:
- ½ lb cooked & crumbled Italian sausage
- 1 ½ cups roasted asparagus pieces
- ¾ cups cooked & crumbled bacon
Storage directions:
- Refrigeration: store leftover dip covered in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezing: leftovers do not freeze well, unfortunately.
Tools used to make this recipe:
- Cutting board
- Chef knife
- Measuring cups & spoons
- 12-inch skillet
- Silicone spatula
- 1 ½-quart or 8 x 8-inch baking dish
More appetizer recipes:
- Zesty 5-Layer Bean Dip
- Cheesy Refried Bean Dip
- Dairy-Free Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Spiced Sweet Potato Fritters
- Avocado Peach Salsa
- Healthy Deviled Eggs
- Air Fryer Potato Skins
- Air Fryer Kale Chips
- Sweet Potato Harissa Hummus
- BBQ Chicken Nachos
Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe
Please any crowd with this Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe!
Lower in fat but still just as tasty, this recipe is lower in fat than most traditional recipes, thanks to Greek yogurt and light cream cheese. Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced white onion
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 6 oz. fresh baby spinach or 2 ½ cups frozen chopped spinach
- 1 ½ cup quartered artichoke hearts defrosted and thawed or canned and drained
- 1 ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt any fat percentage
- ½ cup light cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese divided
- 1 ¼ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese divided
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8 x 8-inch or 1 ½ quart dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add the garlic to the onions and saute for another 1-2 minutes, continuing to stir frequently, or until the garlic is fragrant and just starting to turn golden.
- Stir the spinach and artichokes into the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, continuing to stir as you cook, until the fresh spinach wilts or frozen spinach heats through and turns a darker color green.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the greek yogurt, cream cheese, mayonnaise, ½ cup parmesan cheese, ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, and salt. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the cream cheese is completely melted in and the mixture starts to thicken.
- Pour the dip into the prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese. Bake for 33-37 minutes, or until the dip is bubbling and cheese on the top starts to brown.
- Remove from the hot spinach dip oven and serve with pita chips, crackers, or any of your other favorite dippers!
Notes
- ½ lb cooked & crumbled Italian sausage
- 1 ½ cups roasted asparagus pieces
- ¾ cups cooked & crumbled bacon
